FedEx deliveryman arrested on suspicion of theft

Tarley Seeze Jellow, 34, an eight-year employee of FedEx, was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail on Saturday on charges of trafficking in stolen property and theft-control of stolen property. (Source: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)

Tarley Seeze Jellow, 34, in a picture from his Facebook page. (Source: Facebook)

PHOENIX (CBS5) -

A FedEx deliveryman has been arrested on suspicion of stealing more than $27,000 worth of cell phones from a company shipping facility in Phoenix.

Tarley Seeze Jellow, 34, an eight-year employee of FedEx, was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail on Saturday on charges of trafficking in stolen property and theft-control of stolen property.

Phoenix police said Jellow began taking packages intended for other trucks from a conveyor belt system at the facility at 4475 N. 43rd Ave. on June 7.

Investigators said nine packages were taken on seven occasions, all on Saturdays on which Jellow worked.

He would put them in the back of his truck and while on his normal route, would meet an accomplice and transfer the stolen items, all cell phones contained in packages from Verizon, police said.

The accomplice would take the packages home, inventory the contents and pay cash for the merchandise, police said.

Investigators said Jellow would focus on packages with pink Verizon shipping labels because he knew they contained high-end cell phones, and would open the boxes to determine the contents before turning them over.

He told police he fell behind on child support payments in late May and took the packages to sell.